# Newbie Struggling with Torch Lighters



## Bluewaterpig (Feb 25, 2016)

Hey everyone,

I just started this "obsession" with cigars about two months a;go. I took the advice of the Cigar Authority podcast and picked up a Vertigo Cyclone lighter. They're about $15 retail, triple butane torch. Just for good measure, I picked up a few other lighters...two different Scorch Torches (single jet and triple jet), some no name brand, and the updated Vertigo Cyclone 2. 

All of these lighters are about $10-15. I'm experiencing the same problem with all of them so I'm wondering if it's something that I'm doing or if this is just what you get from a cheaper lighter. 

After filling up and waiting for 10 or 15 mins, the lighters will function pretty well for a little while. Then at some point, it fails to light. So I have to increase the flame level. Even though I'm at a higher setting, the flame will be at a more modest level. Then the pattern repeats...fail to ignite, I have to increase the flame level, I get normal function for a little and then everything starts all over again. None of these lighters are 100% reliable...each have had issues lighting up from time to time. I'm just baffled that I'll have a lighter with a good amount of fuel stocked, a moderately high flame setting, and it won't ignite unless I increase the flame setting. 

Is this a normal thing?


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## Yarddog (Mar 15, 2014)

Yeah, it is fairly common...looks to me like the gas orifices get smutz in them...I just take one of those aerosol dusters and blow out the business end when that happens.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

It depends in the size of the fuel cell. Torches go through fuel quickly. more flames ,more fuel. Did you purge the lighter before you filled it and held down the ignition button to make sure fuel not air occupied the tank. 15$ apiece isn't cheap. The most dependable lighter I have is a Ronson (4$).


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## WinsorHumidors (Feb 16, 2016)

@UBC03 refers to a purge ... would like to let you know how to do that. The reason it is important is that when the fuel is consumed, the fuel reservoir can have air inside of it. To properly purge:

1. Turn the lighter upside down (so that the fueling port is pointed downwards)
2. Stick a small screwdriver or some other small metal device into the fuel port and depress the fueling valve
3. Continue until you hear no more gas escaping
4. Then hold down the ignition button @UBC03 just taught that to me ... learn something new every day at this place.)
5. Refuel
6. Let the lighter rest for, oh, say five minutes to let the fuel warm up.

You are correct in assuming that all three lighters are failing in the same way is suspicious.

C. T. Blankenship


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

WinsorHumidors said:


> @*UBC03* refers to a purge ...
> 
> *You are correct in assuming that all three lighters are failing in the same way is suspicious.*


Right you are!

In addition to purging, the fuel may be circumspect. Not all butane brands are created equal.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

The boys are giving you the straight info....most lighter issues are attributed to "pilot error" which means that on recharges there is air getting into the butane chamber of the lighter. This means you have to ensure that your charging technique is flawless...otherwise you mix oxygen with butane and you get the issues you talk about. It takes a bit of practice to get a good recharge....that means if there is an overspray while charging....you might as well purge the lighter as you just let in 02 into the chamber. Purging is your goal...a complete purge where ALL of the butane left in the chamber is gone. There is a tool I use that makes this easy.....Butane Screw Thing ( http://www.lightersdirect.com/Light...l.13592.html?gclid=CKuev_GGzcsCFY4lgQod0VsKNQ )which costs about $14...it helps purge lighters as well as it makes adjustments to the flame height. PUrge until you don't hear anymore hissing and then you know the chamber is empty. Before recharging...turn the fuel adjustment to the highest setting which helps the butane getting into the chamber and when it's recharged...wait a few minutes until lighting. Turn the adjustment screw 1/4 turn and try to light...if it doesn't light turn the screw another 1/4 turn and so on until it lights and then adjust the flame for your desired flame. Since you have a triple torch my advice is to keep it low otherwise you're going to end up with a scorched foot...practice with a torch is recommended because it's all too easy to scorch the end of your cigar.

I have a collection of 30 lighters of every type and brand name.....from the lowly Ronson to the Dupont and have not had any problems for the last 5 years with the above method of recharging. That being said the only kind of lighters that people use are torches and soft flame and to help with newbies....get a Ronson ( torch ) and a soft flame like the Xikar Exodus that has a wide soft flame ( it's wind resistant...not windproof )


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## Bluewaterpig (Feb 25, 2016)

Yea maybe I'm not purging correctly, or filling correctly for that matter. I've been using Zippo premium butane, just picked up Xikars Purofine this morning because my new Xikar Vitara arrived. Seems to be working alright but still...I can't set it to anything below halfway without it sputtering out or not lighting at all...so I must be doing something wrong. 

A few possible solutions...

1) Whenever I fill a lighter it seems like it takes a dozen presses to get it filled...and that's only when I have a visible tank. Maybe I'm pressing too many times? Should one press of about 5 seconds end up filling the entire tank?

2) I never pressed the ignition button to help bleed the tank. 


As I'm writing this, I'm thinking more and more that the way I'm filling these is creating the problem. Maybe one of you guys can make (or direct me to) a short video? The few I've watched aren't too specific. 

Thanks so much guys, looking forward to the responses.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

You have to find the lighters sweet spot. Sometimes you have to crank it all the way to get a decent flame. I start on the lowest setting and work my way up with very minor adjustments every time I click it. Most of mine are well above half way to not sputter. But I use regular zippo butane and cheap lighters. You just have to mess with it til you find it. Once you find it LEAVE IT.


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## Bluewaterpig (Feb 25, 2016)

Ok, I'm really starting to get frustrated...

I just bled my Vitara completely, made sure it was totally empty, filled it with a single shot of Purofine that I held for 5 seconds. I was sure that pumping too many times while filling was my problem so I thought this was a solution.

I let it sit for about 20 mins, adjusted the wheel and here's what I get. You'll see in the video that the flame level is set just above halfway. Here's what I'm getting...


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## WinsorHumidors (Feb 16, 2016)

Maybe @XIKAR_Ken can stop by and say hi!

CT


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

THe last 2 remedies I have are. ..start with the adjustment all the way up and work backwards. .if you have some compressed air in a can, Blow out the Jets. .might be a little something in there gummin up the works .


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

WinsorHumidors said:


> Maybe @XIKAR_Ken can stop by and say hi!
> 
> CT


Right. .just pm him on Monday. .he'd be able to help ya out.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Bluewaterpig said:


> Ok, I'm really starting to get frustrated...
> 
> I just bled my Vitara completely, made sure it was totally empty, filled it with a single shot of Purofine that I held for 5 seconds. I was sure that pumping too many times while filling was my problem so I thought this was a solution.
> 
> I let it sit for about 20 mins, adjusted the wheel and here's what I get. You'll see in the video that the flame level is set just above halfway. Here's what I'm getting...


You don't need to pump shots into your lighter....all you need to do is count to 8 seconds...then stop....pause for another 4 seconds and recharge for another 4 seconds. What this does is allow the chamber to accept more butane to fill it up. A lot of recharges tend to fall short in this department which means there will be some air inside. The whole idea is to fill the entire chamber with nothing but butane...that is what the second recharge does. Pumping shots into the chamber isn't going to work,,,in fact it will cause the same things to happen that you are talking about.

If there is any overspray....your lighter is going to spit...if you don't fill the chamber up...it's going to spit and sputter. If you don't use good butane ( Vector or Xikar ) then you'll have issues as well. While Zippo isn't a bad fuel I don't use it..I only use 5X refined butane. Fuel will not burn right when there is 02 in the chamber...just a fact. I once wrestled with a stubborn lighter some time ago that just kept sputtering and spitting...so 4 times I purged that SOB and recharged it 4 times and finally...it worked flawlessly and still does. Any amount of air in the chamber is going to give you fits and as I said...sometimes you're going to get a lighter that for some reason...will not be completely purged so you end up having to do it over and over. The "Lighter Gods" tend to like to play with us mortals sometimes.


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## Bluewaterpig (Feb 25, 2016)

I'm ready to punch a hole through my wall. I just don't get this. 

Am I right in assuming that after refilling your lighter correctly, you should be able to turn the wheel to maybe 20% strength and get a steady flame? I cannot get that to happen.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

Bluewaterpig said:


> Am I right in assuming that after refilling your lighter correctly, you should be able to turn the wheel to maybe 20% strength and get a steady flame? .


No. .most every torch I've ever owned, no matter the price, had to be adjusted AT LEAST 50% usually more.


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

Bluewaterpig said:


> I'm ready to punch a hole through my wall. I just don't get this.
> 
> Am I right in assuming that after refilling your lighter correctly, you should be able to turn the wheel to maybe 20% strength and get a steady flame? I cannot get that to happen.


Why 20%? Each lighter may need a different setting, even between two of the same type. Set it to the flame, not some predetermined percentage.


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## WinsorHumidors (Feb 16, 2016)

Bluewaterpig said:


> I'm ready to punch a hole through my wall. I just don't get this.


Didn't I tell you I do drywall too? However, not at wholesale prices ...:wink2:

This post probably didn't help did it? >

CT


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Bluewaterpig said:


> I'm ready to punch a hole through my wall. I just don't get this.
> 
> Am I right in assuming that after refilling your lighter correctly, you should be able to turn the wheel to maybe 20% strength and get a steady flame? I cannot get that to happen.


I feel your pain....if you can't get that POS lighter to work right...send it to me and I'll fix it and send it back for free. Have yet to meet a lighter that I couldn't make it work correctly...as long as there are no internal issues like fuel lines...etc.

NIce thing about the Xikar Brand is that you can send it back and they will either fix it or give you another one for free...I'd probably go that way but I like challenges. I once spent a couple of hours breaking down one of my Duponts and fixed it when some jagoff at the store told me he'd fix it for $100.....yeah, and I'll just pull a hundy out of my arse while I'm at it, too.


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

What is the temperature when you're encountering these problems? Butane lighters typically don't work particularly well at lower temps, if at all. Has to do with the vapor pressure of butane.


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## Bluewaterpig (Feb 25, 2016)

Thanks for the replies everyone. Cigary, check your PMs. 

I spoke with someone at Xikar today and they informed me about adjusting the internal track, which I did and has certainly helped things. I guess my main gripe here is that I expected a lighter to be able to hold a steady flame throughout the entire range of the adjustment wheel. I like to use a REAL low flame. 

Does everyone agree that torch lighters need to be turned on 50% or higher to hold a steady useable flame? If that's so, then mine is working fine. 

Btw, would you consider this a pretty low flame?


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## XIKAR_Ken (Jul 11, 2014)

Bluewaterpig said:


> Thanks for the replies everyone. Cigary, check your PMs.
> 
> I spoke with someone at Xikar today and they informed me about adjusting the internal track, which I did and has certainly helped things. I guess my main gripe here is that I expected a lighter to be able to hold a steady flame throughout the entire range of the adjustment wheel. I like to use a REAL low flame.
> 
> ...


Bluewater,

I would consider that a small flame. Try the video I sent you in PM.

Everyone else, here is my response to @Bluewaterpig , I figured I would put it here so that everyone can have the information:

Hey,

Sorry I didn't have a chance to get on here sooner to get to your question. I checked out the video on the thread. There are a possibility of two things going on here. Either your lighter just has a lower point of tolerance for our highest setting, or we set the highest setting incorrectly form the factory thus inhibiting your range.

Our tolerance for the flame is that the highest setting should have a solid flame for 5 seconds without flaring up, and upon release there should only be at most a bleed off of 3 seconds. That being said, every lighter will have this point at different spots in their range. There is a chance that your tolerance point is just lower and then when we set the range you just don't have much to play with.

All that aside, like I alluded to earlier, the restrictor could have been set too low, so now your highest setting might be too low. This video will walk you through how to remove the restrictor.






Let me know if that works!"

Ken
XIKAR, Inc.
Consumer Advocate
[email protected]


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